How to Patch Door Reveals

People always talk about taking things for granted, and seeing as how each and every one of us knows, comprehends, and understands this world-renowned cliché, why is it we only seem to take it seriously when we're being immediately effected? Oh, that's right...we take it for granted! In the hot rod world we come across these conundrums quite often. Take for instance when the realm of the aftermarket isn't there to lend a helping hand.

When you're dealing with a 1932 Ford passenger car, or really any popular make and model, parts and accessories are just a phone call or Google search away. Anything and everything can be bought in a moment's notice. Yet, for a 1932's trunkless cousin, the pickup, things take a different turn. When it comes to those interchangeable components it's status quo; but for those unique pieces—such as sheetmetal—one is left scouring an abundance of avenues for salvageable original stock. The 1932-34 pickup door is something that isn't re-popped in the aftermarket. So when things take a turn for the worse it's time to count on one's resourcefulness to make it right.

In the case of this 1932 Ford pickup door, the reveal along the beltline took a shot from a forklift. The result was two creases, roughly 8 inches apart, expanding the entirety of the reveals and down into the skin. Unlike the broad side of a piece of sheetmetal, the reveal along the door has a multitude of sharp breaks in it, which is really where things take a turn for the worse. Dents and dings can be pulled and worked, but when a sharp edge buckles things don't just pull back into place. Previously someone tried to cut out the damaged area, straighten things as best they could, and then weld it back in. As for the skin below, a stud gun and puller could only band-aid a rough area. Long story short, it was a valiant effort, but things fell short.

Being that new sheetmetal isn't in the cards it's time to move on. There is a positive note, although bittersweet: The rest of this door is flawless. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a better door. The next option is plan B, to find a door with a solid reveal and transplant a patch. Being the damage to the door in question is in the center, a donor passenger or driver door would suffice because the crown of the reveal is shared. Star Kustom Shop, in Riverside, California, has taken the route of Plan B and found a new door with exactly what is needed. By cutting out the damaged portion and replacing it with new old skin the door can be restored to its previous condition. Here's Star Kustom Shop's plan of action.

2/161. Unlike the story of David and Goliath, when sheetmetal has a run in with a forklift the fairer of the foes doesn’t emerge triumphant! The main point of impact was pretty much smack dab in the center of the various reveals in the beltline, but it was significant enough to crease from the doorsill down into the lower skin.

3/162. Through the lens of a camera the damage doesn’t seem too extreme—and couple that with the fact someone previously tried to repair the area—but when this brazing rod (arrows) is stretched along the reveals you can see there is a gap of nearly 3/8 inch on the left and 1/4 inch on the right where things should be a continual flow.

4/163. Side by side with the donor door you can further see the damaged door has lost its crown, and how it will be fixed to match its counterpart.

5/164. Using a DA outfitted with 80-grit the doors are stripped.

6/165. The reveals on driver and passenger ’32 pickup doors follow the same curvature, but being they are opposites (kind of like looking in a mirror), you have to cut accordingly. Here Star Kustom has cut a portion from the donor door in correlation to the damaged door.

7/166. A simple 3-inch cut-off wheel was used to slice up the door, and afterward it’s a good idea to run the DA along the cut lines to ensure things were nice and straight.

8/167. With the patch placed against the door it’s apparent how much will need to be replaced. SKS went beyond the affected area to work with a clean slate.

9/168. Using a scribe, the right edge of the patch is marked and cut using a 3-inch cut-off wheel.

10/169. To create a tight fit SKS only cut a sliver from the right side of the patch. Next, they lined up the right side of the patch with the door and held it in place via butt-weld clamps. From there the rest of the patch is scribed to the door.

11/1610. The final cuts are then made with the cut-off wheel. On a side note, SKS recommends cutting a bit on the shy side of things and then slowly cutting and fitting the patch. It’s a lot easier to cut material than it is to replace it!

12/1611. When the damaged section of the door was cut away the remaining portion of the door bowed in. Therefore, this ultra-modern contraption consisting of butt-weld clamps, welding rod, and a ratchet strap was rigged up to pull the patch into its rightful position. Once things were tacked along the reveals, the door kept its intended shape.

13/1612. Using a small screwdriver—a putty knife would also work—the rest of the door was “pried” into position and tacked in place.

14/1613. All tacked in; and now that the grunt work is finished it’s just a matter of finish welding.

15/1614. The last step was dressing the welds, which were first knocked down with a grinding disc and then finished with the DA.

16/1615. It may not have been as easy as ordering a new one, but never take for granted one’s ingenuity and determination!